Video Editing & Thumbnail Design
Mar 5th – Apr 18th
Video editing
A mix of video editing and thumbnail design work created for content creators and brands looking to grow their presence on platforms like YouTube and Instagram. This covers everything from trimming and pacing raw footage into a polished final cut, to designing the thumbnail that gets someone to click on it in the first place — treating both as two halves of the same problem: getting attention, then keeping it.
The Problem
A great video means nothing if nobody clicks on it, and a great thumbnail means nothing if the video behind it doesn't deliver. Creators often come with hours of unstructured raw footage and no clear plan for pacing, and a thumbnail that either blends into a crowded feed or overpromises what the video actually contains. The real challenge was making the thumbnail and the edit feel like they were made by the same hand — one drives the click, the other has to justify it.
The Solution
On the editing side, I focused on pacing and story structure — cutting dead air, tightening transitions, and using sound design and text overlays to keep retention high in the first 10 seconds, which is where most viewers decide to stay or leave. On the thumbnail side, I applied the same principles that drive good UI hierarchy — one clear focal point, high-contrast colors, minimal but punchy text — so the thumbnail sets an accurate, curiosity-driving expectation for what's inside. Together, the thumbnail and the edit are designed as a single funnel: the thumbnail earns the click, and the edit earns the watch time.